Kray, whose communications with
Verona passed through Albaredo, received news of the French attack
and, above all, of the enemy forces engaged, with a degree of nonchalance.
He required the troops first had to finish their camp meal in the
open fields of Bevilacqua and afterwards were they to move toward
the
Adige , to counterattack the French along the front-line. In the
meantime an artillery duel commenced between the French batteries
positioned near the
bridge of
Saint Peter and those of the Austrians, deployed on the other bank
of the
Adige . While nobody had reason to think there it could initiate
a great battle, it was during just this cannonade that Chasteler
de Courcelles organized three attack columns (Angriffskolonnen).

On
March 26, 1799 ,
3:00 AM , the French struck at Pastrengo, while Legnago was attacked
by infantry later in the afternoon. In that day Oberst Baron von
Schustekh had orders to organize a light formation with:

These formed the advance guard of Fröhlich’s division.
Schustekh arrived at the gates of Porto Legnago, on the
Adige
’s left bank, at the
5:00 in the afternoon. He did not stop in the Citadel but passed
through and immediately left the town to engage the French. He
was frontally cannonaded by the French artillery and attacked in
the flank by skirmishers. Otherwise he firmly gathered his troops
along the road in a thick column and repulsed the enemy cavalry
with bayonets. Schustekh then deployed his own cavalry in assault
formation, ordering the infantry to deploy along the two lateral
ditches which flanked the road and to deliver a heavy fire against
the French. With this musketry support, Schustekh was able to divide
the Hussars into small battle-groups, more easily manageable in
a so tight road, and launched them against the enemy. With these
tactics, Schustekh was able to delay battle, and the French advance,
until the arrival of the main column under GM Lusignan (provisionally
commanding Fröhlich’s division).

The French were repulsed largely because of the Austrian use ditches
as entrenchments, losing also 8 guns, 3 howitzers, 22 powder caissons
and 200 prisoners. The Hussar regiment had 2 officers killed and
3 others wounded.